Handbook

The Indo-Pacific region is a large geographic area characterised by complex social structures and a rich cultural diversity. There are flourishing branches of major world religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. However, the region is also home to the growing urban aspirational middle classes of Asia. This interdisciplinary course, which draws from the knowledge bases of sociology and anthropology, will focus on the foundations of the local society and culture. Rather than seeing the area as a static single entity, this course will introduce key analytical concepts and perspectives to understand such cultural and societal dynamics that affect everyday lives. By taking this course, students will acquire the fundamental knowledge and analytical tools necessary to understand the significant historical, social, and cultural issues that underpin the region's rapid social and economic change, which is accelerated by digital transformation.

Religions, modernity, ethnicity, class, marriage and kinship, gender, power, and livelihoods will all be explored.